Act one scene five

LADY MACBETH:
"They met me on the day we won the battle, and I have
learned by the most perfect report that they have more in them than
mortal knowledge. When I burned in desire to question them
further, they made themselves vanish into thin air.
While I stood captivated in the wonder of it all letters came from
the king, who all-hailed me, thane of Cawdor'; by which title,
these weird sisters had just saluted me, and referred me to the
future, with 'Hail, king that shall be!' I thought was good news
to deliver you, my dearest partner in
this greatness, that you might not lose a moment’s happiness by
being ignorant of what greatness is promised you. Lay it to your
heart, and farewell.
You are Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor and you shall be
What the weird sisters have promised you. Only I’m afraid your nature;
It is too full of the milk of human kindness
To a shortcut to power. You could be great;
You are not without ambition,
The drive should usually goes with it.
While you want to be king, you also want to act like a priest;
You wouldn’t play the game falsely, only you’d cheat to win. Great Glamis,
you’d have that which cries, "This is what you must do to be king.
And if you are afraid to do what you must,
Then wish it should be undone." Hurry and get here,
So I can pour my spirits into your ear
And with the courage of my tongue, scold you for
All that keeps you from the crown, the same crown
That luck and supernatural forces seem
To want you to have.

Lady Macbeth: the messenger of death, the raven, is hoarse from croaking the news of Duncan’s fatal
arrival here. Come, you spirits that tend on moral thoughts. Rid me of the natural tenderness of my sex,
and fill thy from head to toe with direst cruelty. Thicken my blood, make me remorseless. Come, dark
night, and shroud yourself in the blackest smoke of hell, so my sharp knife wont see the wound it
makes, nor heaven- peeping through the blanket of darkness-cry “stop! Stop!”
(enter Macbeth)
cont. Lady Macbeth: Great Glamis worthy Cawdor! Greater even than both, by the prophecy on the
heath!
Macbeth: my dearest love, Duncan comes here tonight
Lady Macbeth: o’ never shall he see tomorrow’s sun! Your face, my thane, is like a book. It can reveal
strange things. Tonight’s great business you must leave to me. They will give us solely sovereign sway
and masterdom. To alter ever favor is to fear, leave all the rest to me.

Act 2, Scene 3

Porter

Here’s a knocking indeed! If a
man were porter of hell-gate, he should have
old turning the key.
Anon, anon! I pray you, remember the porter.

MACDUFF

Was it so late, friend, ere you went to bed,
that you do lie so late?

Porter

That’s right sir, we were drinking until 3 A.M.,

MACDUFF

I believe drink gave thee the lie last night.

Porter

I got even with drink. I was too strong for it. Although it weakened my legs and made me unsteady, I
managed to vomit it out and laid it flat on the ground.

MACDUFF

Is thy master awake?

Enter MACBETH
Our knocking has awaked him; here he comes.

I'll bring you to him.

MACDUFF

I'll make so bold to call,
For 'tis my limited service.

LENNOX

The night has been chaotic. The wind blew down through the chimneys where we were sleeping.
People are saying they heard cries of grief in the air, strange screams of death, and terrible voices
predicting catastrophes that will usher in a woeful new age. The owl made noise all night. Some people
say that the earth shook as if it had a fever.

The worst thing imaginable has happened. A murderer has broken into God’s temple and stolen the life out of it.

LENNOX

Mean you his majesty?

MACDUFF

Approach the chamber, and see for yourself. What’s in there will make you freeze with horror.
Malcolm! Banquo! Donalbain! Get up from your beds as if you were rising out of your own graves, and
walk like ghosts to come witness this horror. Ring the bell.

Bell rings

Enter LADY MACBETH

LADY MACBETH

what such a fearful alarm should summon our guest from sleep? SPEAK!

MACDUFF

o gentle lady my words are not for your ears.
No woman could survive the telling.

Enter BANQUO
O Banquo, Banquo,
Our royal master 's murder'd!

LADY MACBETH

What, in our house?

BANQUO

Say it is not so!

Re-enter MACBETH and LENNOX

MACBETH

Had I but died an hour before this chance,
I had lived a blessed time; for, from this instant,
there 's nothing serious in mortality:
grace is dead;
the wine of life is drawn.

LENNOX

Those of his chamber, his servants, as it seem'd, had done it:
Their hands and faces were smeared with blood;
So were their daggers, which unwiped we found
Upon their pillows:
They stared, and were distracted; no man's life
Was to be trusted with them.

MACBETH

oh how I wish I hadn’t lost my self control and killed them!

MACDUFF

Wherefore did you so?

MACBETH

Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious,
Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man!
They are murderers- steeped in the colors of their trade, their daggers dripping
with blood. Who could hold back?

LADY MACBETH

Help me hence, ho! (Pretends to faint)

MACDUFF

Look to the lady.

MALCOLM

[Aside to DONALBAIN] Why do we hold our tongues,
this is our business more than anything.

DONALBAIN

our own lives are in danger! Lets go. Our tears are not ready to come yet.

MACBETH

Let’s briefly put on manly readiness,
and meet in the hall.

Exeunt all but Malcolm and Donalbain.

DONALBAIN

Ireland for me, we’ll be safer if we go our separate ways.

MALCOLM

This murderous is only the start.
We should get out of the firing line. Lets ride off and slip away.
Where there’s no mercy there’s no shame in stealing off.